Sadie in the Snow
by klcarr892
Summary: Another member of Jane's family is in need of help or is it the other way around?  Some Jane/Lisbon later on and Jane/other pairing throughout but I'm pretty sure everyone will approve with this pairing ;o
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the characters.

Rating: T - for violence (especially in pt2)

Author's note: Well, it has been a while since my first fic and this little one just came to my mind this afternoon. It will be in two parts. Hopefully the second part will be posted tomorrow or early the next day. This is something that I haven't seen done yet so I figured I would give it a shot. Enjoy!

Sadie

"Gear Up." Lisbon announced as she strolled into the bullpen. "Bring your Jackets, this one's in the mountains."

The team complied as they gathered their necessities before piling into the SUV for the 165mi trip to Mount Lassen National Park. Jane took the ride as a prime opportunity for a nap as he dosed against the passenger seat window. Lisbon had noticed that since they had found Kristina, Jane had seemed even more tired and ragged than he usually was so she was glad he was getting at least a little rest.

Three hours later, Lisbon was maneuvering the CBI vehicle around twists and turns of the snow-covered mountain road that led to their destination when the sign for the Nation Park on Lisbon's left meant that they had finally made it to their destination. She parked amongst the other law enforcement vehicles before gently shaking Jane from his precious slumber.

"Ok guys. This is it. We'll find the officer in charge of the crime scene and then go from there." Lisbon grabbed her jacket as she climbed out of the SUV. She stretched her arms and which were sore from the drive before slipping on her jacket. She glanced around to see her team doing the same.

The first thing Lisbon noticed about her surroundings was the crisp cold air that she was clearly not accustomed to. It was amazing how much the climate could change in only a three-hour drive. The second thing she noticed was that everyone on her team managed to scrounge up something warmer to wear except for one person.

"Jane, you are going to freeze to death out here in that." Lisbon glared at Jane as he stood in his normal attire.

"Meh." Was Jane's only response as he ignored Lisbon's concern.

Lisbon sighed and decided not to argue and instead made her way over to the crime scene. "Teresa Lisbon. CBI. What do we have here?" She asked one of the officers. Before the first officer could answer, a second from Lisbon's right appeared offering his hand.

"Officer Paretti, glad you and your team made it. Our victim has been identified as Sean Kelly, a 43 year old caucasian male. Looks like he was planning on going for a hike early this morning but was beaten to death before he even set one foot on the trail."

Lisbon thought the scene almost looked poetic. The cruel sight of the victim's severely beaten face was starkly contrasted by the fresh blanket of white snow covering the entire area.

"Any witnesses?" asked Cho, braking Lisbon from her mental imagery.

"Not unless you count the coyote who visited the victim sometime between then and now." Paretti pointed to the tracks in the snow.

"Well, obviously it wasn't the wildlife that did this to him." Jane finally chimed in. "The weapon of choice in this case is our victim's own snowshoe. If you look at the shoe that's no longer connected to his foot, you can see an obvious dent in the frame and I'll bet you'll find the victim's blood somewhere on that shoe. Someone had to overpower him enough to pry off the snowshoe before giving him a good bashing. Also, our canine entered the scene while all this was going on. See the drops of blood in the tracks leaving the scene? The killer defended himself from the coyote as well. You'll probably find mysterious traces of canine hair in that snowshoe as well."

"We haven't been able to find any details about the victim," added Paretti. "His parents live in the northeast and have been contacted. Other than that, we know very little."

Jane looked up at this statement. "Uh, usually the outdoorsy type like our friend here like to shop at a local sport supply shop. I'm guessing there are a couple in town. Match the brands advertised here with those sold in the shops, and you'll find someone who can answer your questions."

Lisbon turned to the team "Van Pelt and Rigsby go hunt down our supplies shop. Cho, find out what we learned from the phone call to the parents. Jane, get yourself inside before you catch hypothermia."

"Yes mom," grumbled Jane as he headed toward the inviting warmth of the welcome center.

Forty five minutes later Lisbon found Jane lounging on a wooden bench in the welcome center clutching a steaming cup of tea.

"You know where a girl can get another one of those?" Lisbon asked, gesturing towards the tea. "It too damned cold out there." She added rubbing her hands together in an attempt to warm them up.

"Anything for you my dear." Jane said as he got up and disappeared into another room. He returned less than a minute later with a second hot beverage.

Lisbon took the tea and inhaled the warm aroma before sighing. "Thank you."

Jane smiled as Lisbon began updating him on the case. "Rigsby and Van Pelt finally found that outdoor sports shop where our victim frequented. The store owner gave us an address so Rigsby is going to pick us up before heading over there. It's only a couple miles away but since you didn't feel the need to bring any warmer attire, we're waiting for Rigsby. Cho is still gathering information from the parents. "

Sean's apartment was pretty much what Jane expected. The place was small but just enough for a man who enjoyed spending most of his time outdoors. The apartment consisted of a small kitchen, a living room (furnished with only a single couch and a bookcase) and a bedroom which was where Jane was at the moment. Jane picked up a picture from Sean's nightstand. The picture showed Sean standing in a fairly large field and a brown dog sprinting away from him, chasing whatever Sean must have thrown. The picture triggered a memory and Jane froze.

_ ***flashback***_

_ Jane's daughter was sitting amongst a giant pile of birthday presents and she was not happy. _

_ "Sweetie, don't you like all your birthday presents? It looks like you have everything there you could ever ask for."_

_ At this, Charlotte's big blue eyes filled with tears. "I got everything but the one thing I wanted the mostest. I even wished for it when I blew out my candles but my wish didn't come true. Daddy, why didn't my birthday wish work?"_

_ "Maybe your wish didn't work because you didn't tell me what you wished for." Jane responded._

_ "But…But…mommy told me if I tell my wish then it won't come true." Charlotte sniffled._

_ "Well mommy is mostly right. You're not usually supposed to tell what you wished for but there is one condition where it's ok to tell…"_

_ "When?..."_

_ "It's ok to tell when the person you are telling knows you sooo well that they already know what you wished for."Jane pulled something shiny out of his pocket and handed it to his daughter. "This is a magic whistle." He explained to Charlotte. "When you blow on it on your birthday, it will make your birthday wish appear in front of your eyes."_

_ Charlotte tentatively took the whistle from her father's hand and gently blew on it. Her face fell when no sound came out. "Daddy, it doesn't wor…" but before she could finish, a brown ball of fur with four long legs came bounding into the room._

_ "Daddy! Daddy! Look! It worked. Is it really mine daddy?" she asked as the puppy ran to the girl with the whistle. _

_ "Yes sweetie. She's yours. Now you just have to come up with a name for her."_

_ Charlotte clung to the puppy as her eyes filled with delight at the sight of her wish becoming a reality. "You're the best daddy in the whole wide world." _

_ Jane realized he would do anything for his daughter if it meant he got to see her smile like she was right now._

_ "Sadie. I want to name her Sadie daddy."_

_ "Sadie it is then."_

_*** End Flashback*** _

Jane hadn't even realized that Lisbon had walked into the room until he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Jane?" Lisbon questioned.

Jane turned slightly to see Lisbon's hand on his shoulder before placing the picture back on the nightstand.

"You zoned out on me for a minute there."

"The coyote," Jane began "I don't think it was really a coyote. Sean had a dog and took it everywhere with him. He must have tried to protect his owner but was injured in the struggle with our killer."

"I don't really see how this helps us with the case but ok. Anything else?"

"No but I would like to talk to the store owner. It's right down the street isn't it? I'll just take a stroll down there and have a chat with him."

"Yeah, and you might as well buy yourself a jacket while you're there."

Jane took the short stroll over to _Tiny Tim's_ which was no more than a glorified shack at the end of the block. As Jane walked through the front door, a bell rang announcing his entrance.

The man at the front register looked up at Jane."Hiya there. You're not from around these parts. You with them police folks about the murder on the mountain?"

"Uh, yes, Jane, Patrick Jane." Jane glanced at the man who must be Tim by looks of him. He was a scrawny red-haired man. Definitely not their killer Jane decided.

"Tim." The man clarified shaking Jane's hand. "So what can I do for ya?"

"Oh, I just had a few questions. You knew Sean?"

"Yeah, he was a frequent customer. Nice fella. He was good for business, always telling other people about this little place."

"I noticed he had a dog?" Jane questioned.

"Yeah, never left home without that dog. She was a gorgeous one, purebred no doubt. Rescue dog though. He picked her up from a shelter a few years back. Remember she had a scar above her right eye. Must have been a pretty nasty cut."

_**Flashback**_

_It was Saturday. One of the few days he got to spend the entire day with his family. He had been gardening all afternoon with his wife. Angela usually took care of the garden but this was one of the rare moments he got to share with her. She was a natural at it and Jane spent more time watching her than he actually spent working. His utopia was shattered by the sound of screeching tires and young feminine scream. _

_ Jane immediately assumed the worst as he and Angela sprinted out of the garden to the front yard screaming his daughter's name._

_ "CHARLOTTE!" he cried as his legs weren't moving nearly fast enough. "Please be ok..please be ok…" he kept repeating as his daughter finally came into view._

_ She was standing on the curb bawling in reaction to the scene in the road in front of her. Jane and Angela embraced their daughter as they asked her what happened._

_ "I….I…. was playing catch with Sadie and I accidentally threw it too hard. It…it rolled out of the yard and into the street. I kept calling for her but she just wanted her ball. A car was coming and didn't see that Sadie just wanted to get to her ball. The car hit Sadie and she screamed. Daddy Sadie screamed so loud and now she's not moving!"_

_ Jane's gaze left her daughter's tear-stained face and went to the crumpled canine in the road. Angela held Charlotte close while Jane went to check on Sadie. Jane crouched down and called the dog's name. Sadie opened her eyes weekly to look at Jane, gave a half-hearted wag of her tail before placing her head back down on the pavement. _

_ Jane could see an obvious gash on her forehead above her right eye but no other injuries were apparent. He turned to his wife and asked her to go get a blanket from inside of the house. When she returned with one, he carefully wrapped Sadie up in it before walking her over to his car. _

_ "Angie, I'm going to take Sadie to the emergency vet. Keep an eye on Charlotte and I'll call you when I find out more."_

_ Angela nodded as Charlotte turned around in her grasp. "But Daddy," she pleaded. "I wanna go with you. Sadie needs me."_

_ "Hunny, now Sadie needs the hospital and someone needs to stay home and look after mommy. Can you be a real sweetheart and watch her for me? I'll stay with Sadie I promise."_

_ "Oookay daddy. Tell Sadie I love her."_

_ "I will sweetheart."_

_**End Flashback**_

"Mr. Jane?" Jane jumped a little at Tim's question. "I asked if you had yourself a dog."

"I used to. A long time ago."

"Dog's are great." Tim continued "And that Sadie, she was a real gem."

End of Part 1


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Ok, so I lied and my little story is turning out quite epic. I mean I knew where I wanted to go with this but it just keeps going and going. I figured it would be 2 parts but right now it's looking like at least 5. I have 3 written already ;o).

Part 2

Jane was a good way up the mountain road when he came to realize just how out of shape he really was. "Too many days on the couch I suppose." Jane grumbled. After the store owner had said Sadie's name, Jane thanked the man and excused himself and left the store. He should have told Lisbon where he was going but she had a case to solve and was acting too much like a mother hen for Jane's liking.

Lisbon had said it wasn't a far walk from the crime scene to the store but Jane was 30 minutes into his hike and very much ready for it to be over. Jane pushed on despite the pain building in his legs. He had to know if Sean's loyal dog and his child's favorite pet were one and the same. Sadie had miraculously survived Jane's family's massacre most likely because she was caged outdoors at the time. Jane had reluctantly taken the dog to a no-kill shelter before he moved to Sacramento.

Jane finally reached the National Park sign out of breath. His lungs hurt from the cold but he had made it. Making his way over towards the crime scene, Jane suddenly spotted Cho amongst the law enforcement crowd. Jane ducked behind a vehicle not wanting the Asian to spot him and start asking questions. Instead, Jane waited until Cho was facing the other direction before sprinting over to the trail where the canine footprints were headed. Once at the tree line, Jane looked back to see if he had been spotted. No one had noticed so Jane continued up the trail.

All along the way, Jane whistled and called the dog's name. About a mile in, it started to snow and the dog's trail became nearly impossible to follow. The forest grew silent as only a snowfall could bring. The path began to incline leading to what Jane hoped was and overlook where he could get a better view of his whereabouts. At the top of the incline, Jane walked to the edge of a snowy rock ledge that overlooked a forest clearing below. Jane again tried the dog's name.

"Sadie!" Jane's voice echoed in the silence.

Jane heard a twig break to his left. He turned to see a large dark-haired man not ten yards from his location.

"Hello." Jane greeted, trying not to startle the man.

"Who's there?" The man asked.

"Patrick Jane. I lost my dog out here. I was hoping to find her before sundown."

"Well my name is Ben. I own Ben's country store on the other side of town. I know this area pretty well. I could help you look."

"Thanks." Jane replied relieved.

"What does she look like?"

"Brown, purebred Chocolate lab. Goes by the name Sadie."

Ben stopped in his tracks. "Which way did she go?"

"She was going this direction." Jane turned and pointed. "I was following her trail until the snow…"

Jane turned around just in time to see Ben coming at him at full speed. Jane could only watch in horror as Ben rammed him with a thud and sent him flying over the edge of the rock face. Jane's left leg hit the ground first with a loud crack followed by the consultant's head which bounced twice before coming to rest on his pillow of stone and ice.

Ben climbed down the rock to inspect his work. Reaching the bottom, he was both shocked and amused to find his latest victim still conscious.

"It… It was you." Jane whispered, struggling to talk.

"NOW you figure it out."

"You…ah…you didn't like Sean because he…oh God. " Jane's head felt like it was going to explode "…because he took business from your store."

"Bingo. We were fine before. _Tiny Tim's_ had the business this side of town and I had the far side. Sean had to come along and brag about Tim's store like it's better. In this economy it only takes a handful of customers not shopping in your store before you can't put food on the table. I was just going to give him a good beating until the opportunity presented itself to finish him off with the very equipment he bought at Tim's. It was perfect, until his stupid dog got in the way. Bit my arm. Now I just have to finish him off… which is where you got in the way. What do you want with the beast anyway?"

Jane's vision blurred. "Daughter's…" he managed.

"You're loosin it man. Oh well, you won't last the night out here in that outfit anyway. Too bad you didn't stop by my shop. Could have bought yourself a coat." Ben chuckled. "Well, I'll leave you to it. I'll come back in the morning to look for the dog."

Jane thought Ben was gone when he heard a boot on the ground right next to his ear.

"Can't have you screaming for help."

With that, Jane opened his eyes in time to see Ben raise a rock over his head before bringing it down with enough force to knock Jane into a peaceful oblivion.

.

.

Lisbon was getting seriously annoyed with Jane. He had left over three hours ago and still hadn't returned. Cho had called saying he was ready to be picked up. Lisbon figured they could stop and drag Jane out of the store on the way. She pulled up by _Tiny Tim's_ and asked Rigsby to gather up their wayward consultant. Rigsby came out a few minutes later with no Jane in tow. Lisbon rolled down her window to speak to Rigsby.

"The store owner said Jane left over two hours ago. Said he looked like he was heading up the mountain."

"Dammit." Lisbon cursed. "He never listens does he?"

Lisbon tried dialing Jane's cell but it went straight to voicemail. She then dialed Cho who said he hadn't seen Jane.

"It's getting dark and we have no idea where Jane is. Any ideas?" asked Lisbon.

"He must have been going back to the crime scene." said Rigsby.

"But why?" finished Van Pelt.

"The dog!" Lisbon exclaimed.

"What?" Rigsby was confused.

"Jane said there was no coyote. It was Sean's dog that left the prints. Jane must be looking for it. It's the only thing that makes sense…that Idiot!"

.

.

When Jane came to, the sun was almost set. He was shivering but not as cold as he expected. He couldn't feel his left leg which couldn't be good but his front was surprisingly warm and his face was wet…wait wet?

Jane cracked open his eyes to come face to face with a wet brown nose. Sadie was whimpering slightly and licking Jane's face.

"Sadie…" Jane whispered.

Sadie's tail wagged, recognizing the distantly familiar voice.

Jane remembered Ben was going to come back to find Sadie. "Sadie, you need to go.. go home girl. I… I don't think….I'm not gonna make it but that doesn't mean you can't get away. You can't stay here. I just get people killed." Jane stopped for a moment. "She loved you, you know. Charlotte. I couldn't save her. I couldn't save her mother and I…I can't save you." Jane realized.

Instead of leaving, Sadie made herself comfortable against Jane. She laid her head on his stomach. Jane used every ounce of strength he had to move his arm so he could pat Sadie's fur. As he drifted back into unconsciousness, Jane figured if he was going to die here in the cold, at least he wasn't alone.

.

.

"What do you mean you can't do anything?" Lisbon was fuming at the park ranger.

"It's already getting dark. We will start a search party for your friend at first light but we can't do anything tonight. It's dark and the snow only makes things more dangerous."

Lisbon's heart sank. It was cold enough during the daylight hours. Now that the sun had set, the temperature had plummeted to a mere 18 degrees. Jane's suit jacket couldn't possibly keep him warm enough to survive the night in these conditions. They wouldn't let her search for him so she was stuck here in the damn welcome center. She sat on the hard wooden bench Jane had lounged on earlier and stared at the door, willing it to open and for Jane to come waltzing in demanding some hot tea. Reality was cruel however, and the door stayed closed.

End of part 2

Pretty please review ;o)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N I'm still typing away at this beast. I've dug myself (and Jane for that matter) into an angsty hole and now I have to find my way out...lol. It's going to be a bumpy ride for a while but I hope you enjoy! I'm up to part 5 (and still going). I will probably post again late morning.

Part 3

It was 6:45am, the stun was just started rising over the horizon and Lisbon had waited enough. She took Cho and Rigsby and left Van Pelt to help organize the official search party. The six inches of fresh snow that greeted Lisbon as she, Cho and Rigsby began their hike would have otherwise have been a beautiful sight but instead it haunted her like a welcoming shroud.

Lisbon figured they would head down the trail that was closest to where the dog's footprints had been found yesterday. The three of them shouted Jane's name along the way listening for any noise in the too still forest.

.

.

.

Sadie jolted awake at the distant sound of voices. She glanced at the man in the snow not wanting to leave the vigil over her friend but there were more important matters at hand. Sadie stood up and sprinted towards the direction of the voices.

.

.

.

Lisbon stopped at the sound of a faint noise in the distance. She motioned Rigsby and Cho to stop and listen as well.

"Do you hear that?"

Rigsby strained to hear. "No"

"I swear I heard a dog barking."

Lisbon heard it again. "There! Do you hear it now?"

"I do." Stated Cho.

"Stop right there." Lisbon and the boys turned to see a large man with dark hair pointing a shotgun at them. "No one moves." He stated.

"We're CBI" announced Lisbon "Now put the gun down before anyone gets hurt."

"I don't think so."

Suddenly a flash of brown appeared behind Ben and in a second he was pinned to the ground, his arm again the dog's mouth.

With the shotgun now on the ground, Lisbon hurried over, kicked the gun away before pulling out her handcuffs. "You're under arrest." Sadie let go of the man's arm and Lisbon handcuffed him.

"Cho, Rigby, can you take over from here. I gotta keep looking for Jane."

"Sure boss."

Lisbon continued in the direction they were headed when Sadie ran up to her barking.

"What is it girl? Do you know where Jane is?"

Sadie wagged her tail.

Lisbon figured she had nothing to loose so she followed the dog up the hill until she reached a cliff overlooking a clearing in the forest. She looked down at Sadie.

"What now girl?"

Sadie just barked.

Lisbon looked around and then down. Her breath hitched in her throat when she spotted a dark shape lying in the snow.

"Oh God Jane." Lisbon dialed Van Pelt as she climbed down the slippery face of the cliff. She told Van Pelt she found Jane. She quickly gave her location and told Van Pelt to hurry with help.

Lisbon finally reached the unmoving consultant. Jane's face was barely visible as he was partially covered in snow. His left leg was bent at an odd angle. Lisbon brushed some of the snow away from Jane's face. His blonde hair was caked with frozen/dried blood where she assumed he must have hit his head. His lips and face were blue, too blue.

"Jane?" Lisbon pleaded desperately. She pulled off her gloves to feel for a pulse. Lisbon began to panic when she couldn't find one!

"Come on Jane, you can't do this to me now." God he looked dead. He couldn't possibly have laid here all night and still be alive could he? She didn't know what to do. Should she try CPR? Should she risk moving him? Should she warm him up? Lisbon was on the verge of hysteria but managed to pull off her own jacket and place it on Jane's upper half. Would this do any good? God, she was useless! She grabbed his hand. It was so cold. She held his hand in her grasp desperately hoping she could give him even a little bit of her body heat.

Lisbon finally heard voices.

"Over here!" She half cried, half choked out.

Five paramedics pried Lisbon from Jane as she walked in a trance-like state towards Van Pelt.

"I don't think… I mean there's no way. I couldn't find a pulse and he's so blue!" Lisbon's physical and emotional weariness finally caught up with her as she collapsed on her knees. Van Pelt knelt on the ground as well before embracing her boss tightly as they both cried.

"I have a pulse." One of the paramedics suddenly shouted. "It's barely viable but it's there. I need blankets and the board now!"

Lisbon didn't think she had ever heard more beautiful words in her life. If he had a pulse there was hope right? Lisbon and Van Pelt watched as they wrapped Jane into the blankets like a burrito before strapping him to the board.

"Ok we have to make this nice and slow, If we warm him too fast his heart won't be able to take it. We've got multiple injuries to the head and a broken leg at the very least. When he starts heating up, his blood pressure is going to plummet thanks to his head wounds. It's only a matter of time before he crashes. I just hope we'll be off this damn trail by then."

The paramedics picked up their precious cargo before making their way up the steep hill. Lisbon and Van Pelt followed reluctantly. It wasn't until she began to move that Lisbon realized Sadie was still with them. "Come on girl." Lisbon didn't know if she was saying that more for the dog or for herself.

They were halfway down the trail when the paramedics stopped. "No pulse! We need to start CPR …NOW!"

Lisbon was sure her heart had stopped as well. She watched as the paramedics fought for Jane's life.

"Come on man. You didn't survive the night to die on us now!" One paramedic stated as they continued their life or death battle.

Seconds seemed to take forever. Finally someone shouted, "He's back!"

Lisbon let go of the breath she was holding as Van Pelt grabbed Lisbon's hand.

"I can't loose him now Grace. Not now. Not to freakin snow!"

Van Pelt squeezed Lisbon's hand, trying to comfort the woman as best as she could.

Finally, they could see the end of the trail. More paramedics were waiting with a stretcher. Hurriedly, they moved Jane towards the waiting ambulance. Lisbon insisted that she was going with Jane to the hospital and climbed into the back. She turned around to see Sadie behind her whining.

"You can't come in here girl. " Lisbon stated. "Rigsby! Take the dog with you guys. She has no one else." Rigsby grabbed Sadie's collar as the ambulance doors shut on Lisbon.

The ride to the hospital was the longest ride she had ever experienced. They had lost Jane two more times on the ride to the hospital. Thankfully, the skilled medical staff got Jane's fragile heart beating again. The next thing Lisbon knew, Jane was being wheeled into the ER which was the end of the road for Lisbon. Now she would have to wait. God, Lisbon hated waiting.

End of part 3.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N First, I want to thank all of you who have reviewed, favorited, etc. Second, last night's ep reminded me of another Jane/animal FF that I wanted to share/recommend to you. If you haven't read "Red Roan" by castiello I highly recommend it. (I was going to post the link but evil won't let me. You can search for it.) It's fairly short but it's a tearjerker...fair warning. I figured this plus a part 4 update will keep you readers occupied until later tonight when I get home from work ;o)

Enjoy!

Part 4

Lisbon was sitting in one of the uncomfortable ER chairs when the rest of her team hustled in.

"How is he?" asked Van Pelt.

Lisbon glanced at the ER door before continuing. "I don't know. I haven't heard anything since they brought him in there 45 minutes ago. The paramedics lost him twice in the ambulance. God, it was horrible."

Rigsby sat down next to Lisbon. "I'm sure he'll be ok. He's gotten himself in and out of trouble more times than I can count. Besides, we're at the hospital. He's in the best care."

"What was he doing at the bottom of that ledge anyway? Did he fall?" Lisbon asked not really expecting an answer.

This time it was Cho who spoke. "Actually, we may have the answer to that. We found a partial print on Sean's snowshoe. The print matched Ben the store owner who we came across in the woods. Upon questioning him, we found another set of canine bite marks on his arm. We'll test them but I'm pretty sure they'll match Sadie's bite."

"But why would Ben kill Sean?" Lisbon asked not making the connection.

"Greed, desperation." Offered Rigsby. "Sean shopped at Tim's place and was known for getting other townsfolk to do the same. In today's economy, people will do almost anything for a dime."

"Jane could have come across the Ben on the trail like we did." Cho hypothesized. "I guess we'll know the full story when Jane wakes up."

"If.." Lisbon corrected.

"Boss, we need to be optimistic. We're not doing Jane any good thinking about worst case scenarios." Van Pelt chided.

Lisbon sighed. "I know but last time I was in a hospital, worst case scenario became reality." Lisbon was obviously referring to Bosco.

No one had a chance to protest Lisbon's last statement as a doctor came strolling into the room.

"Family here for Mr. Jane?"

"That would be us." Offered Rigsby.

Lisbon noted the doctor looked exhausted. Would he just speak already! "Well? How is he?"

"He's alive and stable for the moment. I'm not going to lie to you, hypothermia is a complicated thing but right now that's the least of his concerns. We scanned Mr. Jane's head and found multiple skull fractures. He has a linear fracture on the left side which we're not that concerned about. That one was probably caused by his fall. It's the depressed fracture on the right side that has me concerned. This one seems to be caused by some kind of blunt-force trauma. Based on where you found him, my guess would be a blow to the head with a rock. We had to perform surgery to ease the pressure on his brain and to repair the damage to his skull."

At this point the doctor took a deep breath and looked at Lisbon in the eye. "My biggest concern is Mr. Jane's left leg. It was broken and exposed to frigid temperatures. I'm sorry to say that we may have to remove the leg but we won't know for sure until he wakes up and we can perform some nerve tests. For the moment, we have set the leg and put a cast on it.

I also have to tell you that Mr. Jane has slipped into a coma which isn't uncommon with this type of head injury. It's the body's natural way of healing itself. I'm hopeful that he'll wake up and we'll be able to better assess his condition. We are in the process of moving him from recovery to a more permanent spot in the ICU. Once he's been moved, I'll let you in one at a time."

Lisbon watched the doctor retreat back in the direction he came from as she tried to process all she just heard. On one hand she was more than relieved that Jane was still with them but on the other hand she was terrified at the thought of Jane in a coma and possibly losing his leg. Images of Jane dancing for her flashed in Lisbon's mind as she tried to imagine how Jane would cope with a missing limb.

Meanwhile a nurse entered the room and made her way over to the team.

"Hello, my name is Emily. I'm here to escort one of you to Mr. Jane's room so if you'll follow me."

Everyone glanced at Lisbon in silent agreement that she should be first. Lisbon nodded and reluctantly followed the nurse through the swinging doors of the ER. Emily guided Lisbon through the hallway and to the doorway outside of Jane's room.

"I'll let you go in. I'll be just out here but will join you in a few to check on his vitals."

Lisbon nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat before slipping into Jane's room. She wasn't prepared for the sight in front of her. The last time Jane was in the hospital it was after the explosion that left him temporarily blind. Oh how Lisbon wished to be greeted with that sight. Instead, the sight before her reminded her too much of Bosco's state during his last moments.

Jane was hooked up to so many wires. He was also hooked up to a ventilator that made a swooshing noise every few seconds painfully reminding Lisbon that the man couldn't even breathe on his own. His head was bandaged above his eyes and his left leg was elevated above the bed in a cast. His face was pale but at least he was no longer a terrifying shade of blue. He was so still. At least the last time Jane was in the hospital he was awake and annoying the nurses. This was completely different and so unlike the Jane Lisbon knew and loved.

Lisbon dragged one of the chairs in the room closer to Jane's bed. She scooched herself as close to the bed as her chair would allow before picking up Jane's right hand. Lisbon was relieved to find it warm.

Emily walked in to see Lisbon staring at her patient's hand with concern and something else. Love?

"Mrs. …Jane?"

Lisbon looked up to see Emily walking into the room.

"No. I'm not…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed from the ring on his hand that…"

"It's ok, he gets that a lot." Lisbon attempted a grin for being confused with Jane's wife. "My name is Teresa Lisbon. I ah… I work with Jane."

Emily walked over to Lisbon with a small bag in hand. "Oh well these were the things we found on Mr. Jane when he was brought in. I figured you could keep them somewhere safe for him." She handed Lisbon the bag.

"Thank you." Lisbon took the bag and placed it on her lap. "How is he doing?" Lisbon asked the nurse who was now checking Jane's vitals.

"He's doing really well considering. You know it's a real miracle he's even alive. I heard someone say they found a dog with him. The doctors seem to think that's the only reason he survived the night on that mountain. You see when a person has hypothermia, the body redirects blood flow only to major organs. A person's core temp is the most vital in keeping those organs functioning. That dog kept Mr. Jane here's core temp just warm enough to sustain life. He's one lucky guy."

Lisbon really hadn't had time to think about the Sadie's role in all of this. Not only had she led Lisbon to Jane's side right in the nick of time, it also seemed like she had kept him warm through the coldest hours of the night.

"Is there anything I can get for you miss Lisbon?" Emily asked as she was finishing her vital checks.

"No, I'm ok. Thank you."

Emily left, leaving Lisbon alone again with Jane. She was about to reach for his hand again when the bag fell off her lap. The three objects in the bag slid out and onto the cold floor. Lisbon picked up Jane's phone, wallet and ID badge. She looked at the phone which was partially shattered before placing it and the ID badge back in. She knew she shouldn't be snooping in Jane's things but she yearned for something else to look at besides the broken man in front of her. She figured Jane's wallet would be a good distraction.

He had a couple of credit cards and some bills. Boring. Digging a little deeper, Lisbon found what she was hoping to discover. Hidden under one of the folds of Jane's wallet, Lisbon found a small pile of worn photos. The first was a picture of the team while they were on the case at the high school reunion. There had been a photographer who insisted on getting a shot of the five people who had crashed the reunion. The second was a picture of Jane sitting in a wicker chair with a woman Lisbon assumed was his wife. They were sitting amongst what looked like a beautiful flower garden. Jane's wife had a dirt smudge on her face and Jane was wiping it off. He was smiling and while Lisbon had seen Jane smile many times, there was nothing compared to the Joy on his face when he was looking at his wife.

Lisbon moved on to the last picture. In this picture, a little girl with curly blonde hair was sitting in front of a piano. Instead of playing she was laughing hysterically. The source of the girl's laughter was obvious because sitting on the piano bench next to her was a young dog. It was nearly too big for the bench and its big brown paws were on the white keys of the piano. Lisbon didn't know why but for some reason the dog looked vaguely familiar. Why did she keep staring at that dog? Lisbon flipped over the photo and read the caption on the back. _Charlotte and Sadie 2005. _

Realization hit Lisbon like a tidal wave. Suddenly everything made sense; Jane zoning out at Sean's apartment, his need to climb a freaking mountain at sunset wearing only his three-piece suit, and the dog's willingness to stay with Jane. The information overload caused Lisbon's emotions to crack and spill over. Her eyes filled with moisture as she mustered the courage to look at Jane.

Lisbon grasped Jane's hand again and spoke to him for the first time. "Ok Jane, I get it. I get why you did it and even though I still wish you wouldn't have been so stubborn for one moment and told me, it makes perfect sense now."

Suddenly Lisbon stood up, not breaking the physical contact with Jane. "I gotta go for a little while. I'm going to go check on Sadie and let the rest of the team come in now. I promise I'll take care of her but you have to make me a promise. You need to promise me you'll keep being your stubborn self. You need to fight this Jane. Promise me."

Lisbon wasn't expecting a response or anything but the silence still caused the pain in Lisbon's chest to intensify. Lisbon slowly bent down and gently placed a kiss on Jane's cheek. Her tears were still flowing freely as one landed on Jane's chin. Lisbon wiped it off with her thumb before squeezing Jane's hand a final time. She then quietly retreated out the door.

End Part 4


	5. Chapter 5

A/N I figured you might need a break from all the angst...lol. This chapter is a bit lighter. My fav chapter so far is the next one (ch 6) but you'll just have to wait for that one. I know, I'm evil.

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Part 5

Van Pelt looked up to see Lisbon coming through the double doors of the ER. She was furiously wiping away tears and Van Pelt feared the worst.

"What's wrong boss? Is it Jane?"

"No… no. Where's the dog?"

"Sadie?" Rigsby asked. "She's in the car in the parking garage. We didn't know where to bring her so we just took her with us. Why?"

"Cuz I uh… I need to take her to the vet. Jane said she was hurt. I forgot and now I have to make sure she's ok."

"Woah boss. What's with the sudden interest in the dog? She doesn't seem hurt." Rigsby assured.

"No, I have to take her to the vet."

"Boss." Van Pelt placed both hands on Lisbon's shoulders. "What's this about?"

Lisbon dug through the bag in her hands. She took out the photo of Charlotte and Sadie. "Look at this." Lisbon handed the picture to Van Pelt. Rigsby and Cho looked on.

"Flip it over."

Van Pelt flipped over the picture and read the back.

"Where did you get this?" asked Cho.

"It's…It's Jane's. The little girl on the front is Charlotte, Jane's daughter and the dog…"

"Is Sadie." Completed Rigsby.

"Oh my gosh." Van Pelt stared at the photo again.

"So, I'm feeling useless here." Lisbon broke the silence. "I'm going to get Sadie checked out. Besides, you all should go see Jane."

"Ok boss." Cho replied.

"Call me if there's any change with Jane. I'll be back as soon as I can."

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Lisbon slid into the driver's seat of the SUV. Sadie was sleeping on the passenger seat but woke up when Lisbon got into the car. Lisbon didn't realize how bad her hands were shaking until she tried unsuccessfully to put her key in the ignition. She took a deep breath and laid her head on the steering wheel. Sadie seemed to sense Lisbon's distress and moved closer, placing her head on Lisbon's arm. Lisbon looked down at Sadie. She wasn't really a dog person but she was really starting to warm up to Sadie as the dog looked at her with its big black eyes.

Lisbon was finally calmed down enough to reattempt the seemingly simple task of starting the vehicle. This time she succeeded as she slowly backed the vehicle out of the lot and drove towards the nearest veterinary hospital.

At three thirty, Lisbon pulled into the parking lot of Lassen Veterinary Hospital. Thankfully, Lisbon had remembered to ask for the address before leaving the ER. She parked the SUV, jumped out, and turned around to call Sadie.

"Come on girl."

Sadie jumped out of the vehicle and trotted behind Lisbon who made her way towards the front entrance. Once inside, Lisbon walked up to the front desk. The woman behind the counter looked up and smiled.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Umm, yes. I need a checkup for my dog." Well, duh Lisbon thought to herself.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No."

"Is this an emergency?"

Lisbon hesitated. "No…yes. Listen, this dog actually belongs to a friend of mine." She flashed her badge for the receptionist. "We work for the CBI and we have reason to think she may have been hit by one of our suspects. So as you can see, I need her checked out by a vet as soon as possible."

"Ok, let me see what I can do."

"Thank you." Lisbon replied, relieved.

"What's the dog's name?"

"Sadie."

"How old is she?"

"Uhh, I'm not sure."

"Is she up to date on all her shots?"

Lisbon was beginning to get frustrated. "I don't know. Look, can we please skip the 20 questions and just get to the part where you squeeze me in to your busy schedule? I've had a really, really bad day so far and I just need to make sure Sadie is ok."

The receptionist looked really annoyed. "Have a seat. We'll call you as soon as the Veterinarian is ready to see you."

Lisbon nodded and went to take a seat in the corner of the room with Sadie. Lisbon wasn't really familiar with the whole veterinarian process but she was relieved to at least be done with that first part. They waited a good half an hour before finally the veterinarian was ready.

"Sadie?" The veterinarian was tall and slender with white hair and beard. Lisbon followed the man into a private room with Sadie at her heels.

"Ok, now we're just need to get a weight on her." The vet explained. "So if you could just have her step on the scale."

Lisbon grabbed Sadie's collar and led her over to the scale. "Sit Sadie."

Immediately Sadie sat on the scale. She wagged her tail as if pleased to obey Lisbon.

"Ok, she can step off the scale now. What seems to be the problem?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Lisbon began. "It's a long story really but the gist of it is, we think Sadie may have been hit. Like I was telling the receptionist, I work for the CBI and we have reason to believe one of our suspects may have injured her. We found blood by her tracks in the snow."

"Snow?" The vet looked surprised.

"Yeah, like I said it's a long story but I wanted to her checked out just in case."

"Ok, well if we could get her up on the table here, I can get a better look at her."

The veterinarian helped Lisbon get Sadie up onto the table where he began his initial assessment.

"I'm just going to see if there are any injuries we can't see." He started with Sadie's spine, hips, and neck before moving on to the ribs. Sadie began to whine when pressure was placed on her right side. "Looks like we may have something going on here. I'll order some x-rays to get a better idea."

The vet then proceeded to inspect Sadie's legs and paws.

"It looks like she has a little gash right here on her front right leg." He showed Lisbon the gash. "I'll prescribe some antibiotic ointment for the gash but it's nothing to be worried about. Has she been in extreme heat or cold lately?" The vet asked as he was inspecting Sadie's paws. "There seems to be a little blistering in between her toes."

"Yeah, like I said earlier, she was in the snow for much of the day yesterday and last night." Lisbon explained.

"Again it's nothing to worry about but domesticated dogs aren't as suited for extremes in climate as their wild cousins are."

The vet finished his exam by patting Sadie on the head. "Ok, I'm just going to take her for a few minutes here so we can get those x-rays. I'll bring her back as soon as I'm done. Does she have a leash?"

"Uh, no. This is all kind of unexpected. I was just going to pick up one on the way out as well as some food."

"No problem. I'll just use one from here." He hooked Sadie up and picked her off the table. "I'll be back with her before you know it."

"Ok." Lisbon watched as the vet led Sadie out of the room. She sighed in relief as he closed the door. Lisbon was glad he hadn't asked too many questions. She wasn't yet ready to relive this morning's nightmare. Then again, she wasn't sure if she ever would be.

While Sadie was with the vet, Lisbon took the time to call the team for an update on Jane. As she figured, there was still no change. Then, she made her long overdue call to Hightower. Cho had called her earlier that morning but Lisbon had yet found a moment to talk to her. Thankfully, Hightower was understanding and put the team on stand down for the time being.

Finally, the door opened and Sadie poked her head in the room followed by the veterinarian with the x-rays. He flipped on the screen light so he could show Lisbon the films.

"Ok, you can see here," the pointed to the x-ray. "Sadie has some bruising on her ribs here. You were probably accurate in assuming she was involved in some kind of trauma. This is something that will eventually heal on its own. I would advise giving her plenty of rest."

Lisbon bent down to pat Sadie while listening to the vet's instructions.

"I'll just write up the prescription for that ointment and then you'll be free to go." He jotted something on a piece of paper and then handed it to Lisbon. "You can fill this up at the front where you came in."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Take care of our girl here."

"I will."

Lisbon filled Sadie's prescription at the front counter. She also picked up a leash, food, and a bed for Sadie. Then, the two hopped back into the SUV and mad the short trip back to the hospital.

End of part 5


	6. Chapter 6

A/N So, this is officially my favorite chapter so far. The shipper in me causes my mind to come up with these images and I try my best to describe them in words. I hope you enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
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Part 6

When Lisbon finally made it back to the ER waiting room, only Van Pelt was present. She saw Lisbon walk in and went to greet her.

"How's Sadie?"

"She's ok. She's got a gash on her led and a couple of bruised ribs. The veterinarian said she just needed rest."

"Is she still in the car?"

"Uh yeah, I gave her some food and water. I also folded down the back seats so she would have more room. Where are Cho and Rigsby?"

"Rigsby went to get us all food. Cho went in to see Jane a while ago. I told him I would come get him when Rigsby came back with food."

As if on cue, Rigsby walked in carrying three bags of food. "Hey Boss. I ordered us all Chinese. I hope that's ok."

"That's fine Rigsby. Thank you. Give me Cho's and my food. I'll go take it in to him."

Rigsby dug through the bags until he found the right containers. "Here you go."

"Thanks. Oh, Hightower put us all on stand down for the time being. Also, I can set you guys up in a hotel room close by if you want."

"No, I think we'll stay. You're not going anywhere and neither are we. Rigsby already hunted down some blankets so we can bunker in here for the night." Van Pelt explained.

"Oh, ok. Well, I think I'll bring this to Cho and then sit with Jane for a while."

Lisbon left the two agents to their dinners and made her way down the long hallway to Jane's room. She paused just outside the door when she heard Cho's voice. She peeked in the room to see Cho reading…out loud. She listened for a minute before knocking.

"Hey."

Cho looked slightly embarrassed and put the book down. "I uh…I was just reading." He looked down at the book on his lap. "I just thought…"

"No, it's ok." Lisbon quickly replied. "I think it's sweet." She gave Cho a slight grin. "Hey, I brought your food. "

"Thanks. I think I'll go eat with the guys if that's ok. You want to join us?"

"No, I'll think I'll stay here for a while."

Cho took his bag of food and left Lisbon alone with Jane. Lisbon retook her seat beside Jane's bed and opened her own food. As she ate, Lisbon filled Jane in on the day's events.

"So, I took Sadie to the vet. She's a little beat up but she's going to be just fine. I bought her food, a leash, and a bed. That, combined with her vet bill and you owe me, oh, two hundred and thirty dollars." She mused. "Hightower put us on stand down so we won't be going anywhere until you're feeling better. I think I'll send the team out shopping tomorrow especially for clothes. I offered to put them up in a hotel but they said if I was staying than so were they."

Lisbon looked up as there was a knock at the door. It was Emily with a cart of supplies.

"Good evening Miss Lisbon. I have to change Mr. Jane's head dressings. Would you like to help me?"

Lisbon's eyes widened in surprise and fear.

"Don't worry, you won't hurt him. I'll show you. First, let me just lift this bed a little so that he's in a sitting position." Emily explained as she hit the button to raise the bed. "Now hun, if you'll just sit right here on the edge of the bed." She pat the spot where Lisbon was supposed to sit. Gently, Lisbon eased herself onto the mattress.

"Now, if you just put your right hand here on his right shoulder, we'll pull him forward. Use your left hand on the other side to support his neck and back." Lisbon did as she was told. The way Emily had her hold Jane was like an awkward embrace with his chin gently resting on Lisbon's shoulder.

"Good, now it'll take me about ten minutes to change this so if you could just stay like that. You're doing perfect."

Emily began attending to Jane's head and Lisbon couldn't watch. She could imagine the incision from surgery wasn't a pretty sight. Lisbon also assumed the surgeons must have shaved Jane's beautiful golden hair for the procedure. This was not an image of Jane that she wanted to remember so instead, she closed her eyes. Because of the direct contact, Lisbon could feel the steady rhythm of Jane's heartbeat pumping in sync with the beeps of the monitors.

The last time Lisbon had been this close to Jane was when he had asked her to dance at the class reunion. She remembered him telling her to pretend he was like that mean, cold-hearted guy that she worshiped from afar but never talked to in high school. Lisbon would never admit it but those few precious minutes were near the top of the list of best moments in her life. She recalled being pleasantly surprised when he held her close for the entirety of the song. Considering his past, Lisbon had good reason to expect otherwise. Thinking back on the night, it was those moments that ahe sadly took for granted.

Lisbon was brought back to the present as Emily announced that she was done. She helped Lisbon ease Jane back on the bed. The emptiness Lisbon felt at the loss of physical contact was unexpected.

"I told you, you were a natural." Emily smiled.

"Well, I grew up with younger brothers so you could say I've had some practice."

"So, Miss Lisbon…"

"Please, Teresa or just Lisbon is fine."

"Ok Lisbon. So, what's Mr. Jane's story? I'm sorry about yesterday by the way. Is he married?"

Lisbon swallowed before answering. "He was married. She was killed, murdered actually along with their young daughter a few years ago."

Emily paled at Lisbon's answer.

"We ah…we're pretty much the closest thing Jane has to family."

"Oh my gosh. That's terrible. I mean, I could tell that you were close but I had no idea."

"Yeah it's been rough and he never seems to catch a break." Lisbon replied sadly.

"So you and him aren't…?" Emily hesitated. "I don't mean to pry but I've seen the way you look at him."

"Well right now, he's still not over his wife as you can see by the ring on his hand. In a perfect world, I would hope that someday he would be able to move on. It's kind of hard to think about someday under the current circumstances."

"He's sure lucky to have you guys as his friends." Emily didn't really know what else to say. She glanced at her watch. "Well visiting hours are officially over in oh, forty five minutes but since you're practically family, I'm going to make an exception."

Emily rummaged through the small closet near the door and pulled out a blanket. "Here you go sweetie. Try to get some sleep. I'll be heading home in about a half an hour and another nurse will take over the night shift. The doctor will be in at around eleven tomorrow morning to check on our patient here so I'll be back around then." Emily handed Lisbon the blanket before dimming the lights and walking out of the room.

A half an hour later, Emily updated the night nurse, Amy on all of her patients in the ward before heading home for the night. Amy was fairly new to the hospital and was just getting used to the new routine. She grabbed her charts and started making her nightly rounds. Pausing outside the room of her newest patient, Amy familiarized herself with his chart. She then walked into the semi-dim room and was greeted with a heart-wrenching sight. There was a woman in the room with her patient and she was fast asleep. To Amy, it looked as if the woman had lowered the bedrails on the left hand side. She was slumped over with her head lying on the man's lap. Even in sleep, the woman was clutching the man's hand for dear life. Amy quietly walked over to where the woman was sleeping. She picked up the blanket that had fallen on the floor and laid it on the woman's shoulders. Satisfied, Amy smiled and then began checking her patient's vitals.

End of part 7

_Anyone need kleenex? I'm giving you guys another break for the next chapter but keep the kleenex handy because I still have a couple angst grenades to throw yet ;o) _


	7. Chapter 7

A/N Sorry this is a short chapter but it preludes the next chapter which is long.

Part 7

Lisbon awoke to the sun shining between the blinds of the small window in the hospital room. She stood and stretched her neck which ached from lying in such an awkward position. Looking at the clock, Lisbon realized it was still early. She had a few hours yet before the doctor would be in to see Jane. Walking back over to the bed, Lisbon sighed.

"Ok Jane. It's morning. Time for you to wake up. I'll make you a deal. Open those blue eyes for me and I'll make you some tea. Heck, I'll even throw in a blueberry muffin."

She took a good look at him in the morning light and decided he had a bit more color than he had yesterday which Lisbon assumed could only be a good thing. The doctor would be in later to give her a more accurate update on his condition.

"Ok, well this is a first. You refusing tea. Hmm, well I'm going to check on the team but my offer still stands." Lisbon took a minute to fix the blankets on the bed, wrapping them securely around the consultant before leaving to find the team.

Van Pelt was sprawled out on a few of the chairs in the ER when Lisbon arrived. The rookie was already awake and sat up upon seeing Lisbon.

"Hey boss."

"Hey."

"How did you sleep?"

"Eh, as good as can be expected I guess. You?"

"Well these chairs aren't as comfortable as they're made out to be but they do the job."

Lisbon looked around the room. "Where are the boys?"

"They decided to sleep out in the car. They called a little while ago actually to say they would bring coffee."

"Sounds good."

"Any Change?"

"No. I mean he seems to have a little more color than yesterday but we'll have to wait and see what the doctor says. He's supposed to be in at eleven so I figured I would take Sadie for a walk in the meantime."

"Mind if I join you? As much as I like the décor in this room, I'm getting a bit stir crazy."

"No, I would appreciate the company. Let's wait until the boys get here and then we can take the coffees with us."

A few minutes later, Cho and Rigsby arrived with the coffees and bagels. Lisbon told them that she and Van Pelt were going for a walk.

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Van Pelt gave part of her breakfast to Sadie as they walked the grounds of the hospital. She watched as Sadie pranced happily at Lisbon's heels.

"I still can't believe she's Jane's. I mean what are the chances?"

Lisbon glanced behind her at Van Pelt. "I have to believe that this whole thing was not just one horrific circumstance."

"So I was thinking," Lisbon quickly changed the subject. "I ought to send you guys out to get basic essentials and we should reserve at least one room at the hotel. We can take shifts at the hospital but we can't keep living off of Chinese and coffee. Besides, it'll get you guys out for a while. I'll find a place that's dog friendly so Sadie doesn't have to live in the SUV all the time."

"That's probably a good idea." Van Pelt agreed. "I'll ask the boys if they want to go once we get back inside if you wanna make the reservations."

Lisbon and Van Pelt were three fourths of the way around the hospital when Sadie began whining.

"What's wrong with her?"

Lisbon shrugged. "I don't know. The vet said she had some blisters on her paws from being out in the cold so long. Maybe they're starting to bother her?"

"Maybe." Van Pelt crouched in front of Sadie. "What's wrong girl?"

Lisbon's phone rang. "Lisbon."

It was Cho. "You guys better get back here."

Lisbon shut her phone and glanced at Van Pelt, fear evident in her eyes.

"What is it?"

"It's Jane. Something's wrong."

End of part 7

_Oh a cliffy... super evil I know but if you all are nice maybe I'll post the next chapter before noon tomorrow. I have it written but not typed yet. Some motivation may help with the typing process ;o) _


	8. Chapter 8

A/N Thanks for the reviews. Ugh, I have a long day at work but I figured I would post this before I went in.

Part 8

Van Pelt told Lisbon to go and that she would bring Sadie back to the car. Lisbon didn't argue and sprinted towards the emergency room entrance. Her heart was racing and her feet weren't moving nearly fast enough. Finally making it to the ER, Lisbon avoided the awkward glances of those in the waiting room. Arriving at Jane's room in the ICU, Lisbon went in and was met with Cho, Rigsby, Emily and the doctor. This could not be good.

"What's wrong?"

The doctor looked at Lisbon. "I was just about to tell your friends here that Mr. Jane's temperature spiked this morning. I ran some tests and I'm afraid he's come down with pneumonia. It's always a risk with patients who are on the ventilator and it is also common with recovering hypothermia patients."

"But he looked fine this morning, better actually." Lisbon couldn't believe what she was hearing. Thinking back, she tried to remember if she noticed anything. Had she mistaken a feverish Jane for a color improvement? Should she have noticed it earlier?

Lisbon walked closer to Jane's bed where the change in Jane's condition became apparent. His face was flushed in fever and beads of sweat now adorned the consultant's forehead. He was trembling slightly."

"Is he shivering?"

"Yes, although coma patients don't respond to outside stimuli, they still can shiver in cases of extreme temperature fluxuations."

"So what does this mean exactly? Can you give him something?"

"I have given him some antibiotics for the pneumonia. All we can do now is try to keep his fever down. I'm going to be completely honest with you. This complication considerably lowers his chances of survival. We're going to do everything we can but you guys should probably prepare yourselves."

Lisbon looked to Emily, hoping she would offer something more encouraging.

Instead, Emily moved to embrace Lisbon. "I'm so sorry."

Van Pelt chose this moment to enter the room. She was out of breath from running.

"What's wrong with Jane?"

Rigsby met Van Pelt as she entered the room and quietly explained the grim situation to her. Lisbon watched as Van Pelt's legs gave way beneath her. Rigsby had to support the woman as he guided her to the nearest chair.

The doctor looked at the all-too-familiar devastation on the faces of the group in the room. "I'll give you guys a few minutes but unfortunately, hospital rules won't allow all of you to stay in here."

Lisbon was trying really hard to keep her composure. "Rigsby, why don't you take Grace out of here. Get her and yourself a change of clothes and make sure she gets some sleep. Find a hotel close to the hospital that will allow dogs. Just call me when you have the name of the place."

"Ok boss." Rigsby said sounding equally exhausted.

"No, wait." Van Pelt insisted, as she wiped the still flowing tears from her face. "Give me a sec guys."

Van Pelt walked over to Jane. Lisbon and Cho moved to the side of the room by Rigsby to give the red-head some privacy.

Van Pelt spoke in a hushed tone that was just out of ear shot from the others in the room. "Jane. It's uh , me, Grace. I don't really know what happens to people in comas but I would like to think that you can visit with your family wherever you are. If you can, give your beautiful little daughter a hug for me but then explain to her that you're needed here. I'm sure if you tell her that you need to take care of Sadie that she'll understand. You may not think so but we need you Jane and no I'm not just talking about closing cases. Boss needs you. If you leave who's going to get coffee for her every morning? Who is going to make her smile even when she's sad? I mean the guys and I will do our best but no one can make her smile like you can. I certainly have no expertise in origami." She smiled at this.

Lisbon watched as Van Pelt spoke her peace to Jane. Although she was just out of hearing range, Lisbon watched a range of emotions cross the woman's face from sadness to finally a small smile. Van Pelt finished by lifting Jane's hand to place a small kiss above his knuckles. She left the bed and went into Rigsby's welcoming embrace as he guided her out of the room. Though the two were no longer officially a couple, the feelings shared between the pair were unmistakable. The sight made Lisbon feel extremely lonely. She turned to Cho.

"You should probably go with them. I'll be alright here."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"All right." Cho got up to follow Rigsby and Van Pelt but paused at the door. Cho's eyes went to the object in his hands.

"Here." Cho handed the book to Lisbon. "We were on chapter six but I don't think he'll mind if you start over."

"Thanks."

"Call me if…"

"Yeah."

Cho gave Lisbon's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and then left. Cho was replaced with Emily walking into the room with a pan and a towel.

"We already have Mr. Jane on a cooling pad for the fever but I figured you would want something to do so I brought you this." She handed the items to Lisbon. "You can fill that just outside the door." Gesturing to the pan.

"Thanks."

Lisbon filled with pan with cool water and then brought it back into the room. With the pan on the bedside table, Lisbon dipped the towel into the water and began the delicate task of wiping Jane's face. Lisbon went slowly, imprinting every feature into memory in case these were her last moments with him. Face done, she moved to his hands pausing only slightly when her fingers touched cold metal.

With her task complete, the full weight of the situation hit Lisbon like a wave and she began to shake. Silent sobs racked her body as the emotional strain finally overflowed causing Lisbon to break. Lisbon reached for the cross around her neck, holding it in her grasp as if she was hoping to draw strength from the object.

Slowly, with shaking hands, Lisbon reached for the clasp on the necklace and unfastened it. She held it in front of her face. This was the first time Lisbon had taken the necklace off since her mom had died. Taking Jane's hand in hers, Lisbon placed the necklace in his palm and closed his fist around it.

"You need this more than I do right now and although I know you don't believe, I'm getting pretty desperate here."

Lisbon grabbed a tissue and blew her nose, attempting to get her emotions under control. She then picked up the book on the table and glanced at the cover.

"Hmm…Looks like we're reading the newest James Patterson novel. Hope you like this."

Lisbon read to Jane the whole afternoon only stopping once when Cho came in with some food and a fresh pair of clothes.

"We weren't sure of your size but at least they're clean."

"How's Van Pelt doing?"

"She's sleeping. Sadie was in obvious distress so Van Pelt tied to comfort her. I think they ended up comforting each other and fell asleep soon after."

He had stayed a few minutes, giving Lisbon the opportunity to change. It was late when Lisbon finished the book. She yawned and placed the book on the table before lowering the bed rail and assuming her new sleeping position.

_When stars fall, and ground breaks,__  
__You're sinking, 'cause it's too late,__  
__I'm right here, I'm right here__  
__Just stay with me_

_._

_._

The End.. Just kidding ;o) By the way, the lyrics at the end belong to a song called "Hard to Believe" by David Hodges. It pretty much fits this chapter perfectly. I listened to it on repeat while writing this. You should listen to the whole thing. Oh, and pleaassse review. Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N Phew... this chapter took me a while but it's done. I have a feeling ya'll will like this one ;o) Enjoy!

Part 9

During Amy's early morning rounds, she was relieved to find that Mr. Jane's fever had finally broke which meant the medication was working and his vitals were stabilizing. Amy considered waking the woman she now knew as Teresa Lisbon to inform her of his progress but decided otherwise. She looked completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Instead, Amy noted the improvement on Jane's chart. Emily would be delighted to share the news with Miss Lisbon in the morning.

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Emily was indeed relieved to hear that Jane has made a vast improvement during the night. If she was honest with herself, Emily had expected to come in and find just the opposite. Oh, how good it felt to be wrong. She quickly updated herself on the rest of the night's developments, wanting to be the first one to tell Lisbon of the good news.

Emily had seen many things during her eight years working at the hospital but everything else paled in comparison to the sight that awaited her that morning. Lisbon was fast asleep, her head resting comfortably on Jane's lap. She had tear stains trailing down her face and Amy assumed she had cried herself to sleep. These observations weren't what held Emily's attention, however. Her eyes were fixed on her patient who was miraculously and most certainly awake. His gaze was fixed on something dangling from his hand while his other hand was subconsciously combing through Lisbon's raven hair.

Jane glanced up to see Emily in the doorway. She smiled and quietly entered the room.

"Hey you. It's about time. I'm going to notify the doctor that you are awake. Let's see what we can do about taking you off of that ventilator. We were all really worried about you Mr. Jane. I'll be right back."

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"What do you mean he's awake?" Jane's doctor couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I don't know. Amy said his fever broke early this morning. I walked into the room to check his vitals and he was awake."

"That's just not possible. Comatose patients don't come down with pneumonia one day and then wake up the next."

"I don't know what else to tell you. Why don't you come and see for yourself."

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Emily walked into Jane's room with the doctor in tow.

"Well I'll be." The doctor listened to Jane's lung sounds. "I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it for myself. You'll probably want to wake her up for this." The doctor said referring to Lisbon.

Emily walked over to Lisbon and gently shook her shoulder. "Lisbon, sweetie."

Lisbon opened her eyes and looked around, still groggy from sleep.

"Jane… Is he?" Lisbon was panicking.

"No hun, everything is fine. Actually, there is someone who would like to see you." Emily nodded towards the bed.

Green eyes met blue and tears started flowing again only this time from happiness and relief. Jane lifted a shaky hand to Lisbon's face to wipe away the tears. Lisbon grasped the hand and held it against her cheek.

"Oh Jane." She shook with sobs. Lisbon lifted her eyes to the ceiling. "Thank you. Thank you!"

"Mr. Jane, we're going to remove your ventilation tube now." The doctor explained. "On the count of three I want you to exhale. One…two…THREE."

Jane exhaled as the tube was removed. The extraction irritated Jane's throat and he started to cough.

"Don't try to speak. Here's some water for the hoarseness." The doctor allowed Jane to sip water out of a straw. He then handed the cup to Lisbon. "Give him water as needed but no talking for a few hours."

The doctor continued. "I just have a few questions for you Mr. Jane. Just nod yes or no for me ok?"

Jane nodded

"Do you know where you are?"

Nod.

"Do you remember how you got here?"

Jane shook his head.

"You were brought here three days ago with acute hypothermia, multiple skull fractures, and a broken leg. Speaking of which, I need you to nod if you can feel this." The doctor took a tool from out of his lab coat pocket and added pressure to a point on Jane's exposed foot.

Jane hesitated before nodding.

"Good and here?"

Another nod.

"That's good news. I was worried about the damage the cold could have done to your broken leg. You'll still need some therapy once that break heals but at least you won't lose the limb. "

Jane was starting to nod off. Even though he had just woken up, the smallest of movements sapped his energy.

"You should get some rest Mr. Jane. I still have a few tests to run but I think we can move you out of intensive care to a quieter room for that." Jane's doctor wrote some notes down on his chart. "Emily, will you see to a quieter room so our patient can recover properly?"

"Of course."

Lisbon couldn't take her eyes off the consultant as he drifted to sleep. Emily walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He's sleeping naturally now. He'll do that a lot for a while but little by little, he'll be able to stay awake for longer periods. I'm going to see about getting him moved. As much as I'll miss being his nurse, I couldn't have wished for a better outcome. Besides, a little birdie told me he can be a pain in the butt when it comes to nurses."

Lisbon chuckled slightly. "Yeah, get out while you still can. You have no idea."

"Oh, I'll be down for a visit or two. Of that I'm sure. Besides, you haven't officially introduced me to this man who has won your heart."

Lisbon blushed.

"I'll be back as soon as I can to take him to his new room."

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Thirty minutes out of a coma and Patrick Jane was already in the middle of what Lisbon assumed must be a very strong nightmare. She was torn with what to do. On one hand, she wanted to do anything to rid Jane of the unconscious torment he was obviously experiencing but on the other hand, Emily said he needed rest. Was it still rest if you were subconsciously re-living the worst moments of your life over and over again? Lisbon wasn't sure. She remembered her mother used to sing to her after a particularly bad nightmare but there was no way Lisbon was going to start singing. It would only intensify the poor man's nightmares. Eventually, she resorted to humming all the while, lightly tracing her finger up and down the consultant's arm. Slowly, Jane's trashing and mumbling subsided. Lisbon continued to hum if it meant a few moments of peace for the weary man.

Jane's eyes fluttered open.

"Humming?" His voice was still hoarse.

Lisbon looked up, surprised that he was awake.

"You, are NOT supposed to be talking."

"Never you mind them. What the doctor doesn't know won't hurt him. But humming Lisbon? I'm touched."

"Well you were having a pretty intense nightmare. My uh, mom used to sing to me when I would get them."

"It's nice. You should hum more often."

"Should I now?"

"Yup."

"Is my patient speaking when he was clearly told not to?" Where had Emily come from?

"You must be Emily."

"What, now we're physic?"

"No such thing. Uh, your name badge."

"Oh, yeah."

Lisbon sighed. "Well it's officially started."

Emily was confused. "What has?"

"Oh, Jane's already started with his nurse torture techniques. By the end of the week you'll be practically throwing him out of the hospital."

"Hey! Jane's still in the room. I do NOT torture nurses. I just happen to not like hospitals and who says I'm staying here a week?"

Emily put her hands on her hips. "Well mister, I'm here to move you to a new ward which means you'll have to torture another poor nurse."

"Humph, and I almost had you all figured out."

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It took Emily a good twenty five minutes to get the consultant situated in his new room two floors below the ICU. "This room is nice. It has a large window with a nice view of the grounds."

Jane yawned, obviously not interested or too tired to care.

"Mr. Jane, you should get some sleep."

"Meh, don't want to sleep. Unless my friend Pepper here would like to hum me to sleep."

Lisbon glared at Jane.

The consultant's eyes began to droop again despite not wanting to sleep. In only three minutes, he was out again.

"So…Pepper?" Emily gave Lisbon a weird look.

"Don't ask."

"Well, I have to head back to my own ward now. Is there anything I can get you before I go?"

"Uh, no, but I did forget a book in the room on the table. When you get a chance, would you mind setting it aside for me?"

"No problem."

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Emily made her rounds and then stopped by Jane's old room for the book Lisbon had left in there. Rounding the corner, she heard voices. The room was supposed to be empty. Then, she recognized one of the voices as Jane's other lady friend. Van Pelt was it? She sounded very upset. Wait, had Lisbon forgotten to call them this morning? Crap! And she had just moved Jane so they must think… Double Crap!

End part 9

_Finally! Three days without Jane was waaay too long. I couldn't take it anymore and I figured neither could you guys. So did you think I had forgotten about the rest of the team? Nah...but I really miss Sadie. LOL... stupid hospitals and no dog rules. Don't worry though, she'll be around in the next chapter (I'll figure out something) ;o) Let me know what you think._


	10. Chapter 10

A/N Sorry for the repost but I realized a a little problem with my last few paragraphs. If you noticed the oops, then I fixed it. If not, than good ;o)

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Part 10

It had been a good twelve hours since Cho had heard anything from Lisbon. He was just getting back to the hotel room after taking Sadie for a walk. Rigsby and Van Pelt were both finally awake and looking rather restless.

"Have you heard anything Cho?" Van Pelt asked.

"No"

"Well, I can't stand just sitting here doing nothing. For some reason, doing nothing at the hospital seems slightly more productive than doing nothing here."

Chu shrugged. "Let's go then. No sense sitting around. Rigsby, grab some of those granola bars on the table. I'm sure Lisbon hasn't left that room since I was there last night."

"Should we bring Sadie?" Questioned Van Pelt.

Sadie looked at Cho. "The dog can come. It'll give us a good excuse to get out of that dreary place for a while."

The team plus Sadie piled into the SUV and made the ten-minute drive to the hospital. Cho parked in the garage and Van Pelt fed Sadie before the trio made their way into the ER once again.

Cho paused in front of the ICU doors to look at his watch. "Jane's doctor usually comes around pretty close to this time. We should all go in if we want to hear the update. He can always chase us out after."

"Ok." Van Pelt took Rigsby's hand. Last night had hit her pretty hard. When Cho had gone to bring Lisbon clothes, she and Rigsby had talked. If nothing else, this week had taught her that life was precious and to not take time for granted. Things were not perfect between her and Rigsby by any means but their talk had been a good start. She would have to thank Jane if, no when he woke up.

Cho got to Jane's room a second before Van Pelt and Rigsby. He paused and looked back at the door, thinking he had the wrong room because this room was empty. There was still a bed, now with clean linens but no beeping machines, no Lisbon, and most frighteningly, no Jane. Cho didn't know what to think. Lisbon would have called if something happened wouldn't she?

Van Pelt saw the empty room and immediately assumed the worst. Jane must have passed sometime in the night and Lisbon was probably off somewhere blaming herself. She should have stayed. What kind of friend was she sleeping in a hotel room while he was slowly slipping away? She looked up at Rigsby and Cho. "What do we do now? I, I…"

"Excuse me guys." Jane's nurse walked briskly into the room. "I don't mean to interrupt but you guys seriously need to come with me."

"What happened to Jane and where's Lisbon?" Rigsby wanted to know now.

"I would tell you but I think it's better if I show you. Come on."

Emily led the team through the hallways leaving them to ponder where on earth they could possibly be going.

.

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Jane was awake again and as predicted, he was being a bad patient. "I want some tea. Can't I just have some? And none of that herbal crap. I need the real thing."

"Jane, you can't have any tea right now. You can have water, here." Lisbon offered him the cup of water.

"Tea and water are practically the same thing. You start by taking WATER and boil it real good. Then, you add the milk to the cup. I'll even live without the milk but I haven't had tea in over three days. Pleaaaasee."

"No, Jane."

"You're evil."

The door to Jane's room opened and in walked Emily followed by Cho, Van Pelt, and Rigsby. The agents took in the sight before them, too shocked to move.

"Hey guys! Look Lisbon, the guys are here. They'll get me some tea won't you? Well, except Rigsby. Sorry man, but the last time you made me tea, it was pretty much horrible."

"Jane?" Van Pelt found her voice.

"In the flesh. I take it Lisbon forgot to call you to say I was alive. Well, apparently Lisbon's humming has miraculous effects. I was telling her that she should have kissed me and I would have woken up sooner but she resorted to humming. Took a bit longer."

"We thought…"

"Meh, Emily couldn't take me in the ICU any longer so she brought me down here."

Emily glared at Jane before leaving the group to their reunion.

Lisbon finally spoke. "I'm so sorry I didn't call you guys but as you can see, I've been pretty busy."

"It's ok, we're just glad you're ok man." Cho stated honestly.

"So, when are you guys going to spring me from this joint?"

"No one is doing any springing." Lisbon assured "I do have an idea though. Cho, there's uh something in the car for Jane. Would you get it for me?"

Cho was confused but thankfully Van Pelt understood. "We'll all go. We'll be back soon." She ushered Rigsby and Cho out of the room.

"A surprise? Oh boy! I hope it's tea, or a turkey sandwich, or my couch! Sadly, I don't think the couch would fit in the SUV. "

A few minutes later, Lisbon's phone rang. "Hey…Yes I'm aware that you can't…I'll take care of it." She hung up the phone. Ok, Jane, we're going to move your bed a smidge so you can see out the window. We can't have your surprise in the hospital." Lisbon moved the bed and then sat on the edge.

"It _is_ my couch!"

"No."

Jane's breath hitched when he saw the team walk into view with Sadie. "You found her."

"No, she found you apparently. The doctors said she saved your life, kept you just warm enough. She also led me to you after helping us take down Ben."

"Ah yes, Ben. I don't remember everything but it makes sense. He was the store owner on the other side of town right?"

"Mmhmm."

"What some people do for money. Was Sadie hurt?"

"A little banged up but as you can see, it hasn't slowed her down."

Jane watched the interaction between the team and Sadie through the window. Rigsby hefted a large stick and Sadie went running after it.

"She was mine you know. Well, my daughter's actually."

"I know." Jane looked at her, surprised. "I uh, found your picture."

"Oh." Jane was suddenly interested in his hands.

"I uh…I dreamed about them, when I was out."

Lisbon looked at him again. His eyes were again fixed out the window. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

They sat in silence for what felt like hours even though it was only a few minutes. Lisbon was surprised when Jane continued.

"It was worse than the nightmares. At least then I pretty much know what's coming but this was different. This time they were there, alive, and I was with them. I got to hold them in my arms and do you know what she said to me, my beautiful little girl? "

Lisbon looked at him but he avoided her gaze. "She told me I had to go back and take care of Sadie. Can you believe that? She begged me to love her and watch out for her like the time Sadie got hit by the car. I know it was only a dream but I didn't want to wake up. I didn't want to come back here where I was all alone."

"But Jane…" Lisbon began to protest.

"No, let me finish. She made me promise her and so I did. I would give her anything she asked for. I woke up and the first thing I saw was you, here, with tear stains on your face. I still don't understand why you cry for me Lisbon, but I realized that I was being selfish in not wanting to wake up. And then, I found this, in my hand." Jane held up the necklace that was still entwined in his fingers. "I know how hard this must have been for you." He handed the necklace to her. "I knew then that I wasn't really alone."

Lisbon blinked away tears in her eyes. He had never been so open with her and it was freaking her out. She glanced over to see his bottom lip trembling slightly. He had never cried in front of her. She could handle sarcastic, pain in the ass Patrick Jane but broken and exposed Jane was a whole nother zip code. She settled for rubbing her hands along his back.

"God, I miss them so much." And just like that, Jane's slight tremble turned into full blown sobs. Lisbon, running completely on instinct, slid closer to Jane so that they were sitting/laying side by side on the hospital bed. She then pulled him close and buried his head under her chin like she used to when she was comforting her brothers. She continued stroking his back as slowly, the sobs subsided until they were nothing but occasional sniffles.

By the time the team came back into the room, Jane was asleep with Lisbon still cradling him like a small child.

"Is he ok?" Van Pelt asked concerned.

"He will be. He needs sleep."

Rogsby took the hint. "We'll go and uh, grab some lunch from the cafeteria and come back later. You want anything?"

Lisbon shook her head and the team quietly left the room. It was obvious Jane wasn't moving any time soon so Lisbon figured she would take the opportunity to rest as well. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax for the first time in days.

End of Part 10

_Ok, so I wasn't sure how Lisbon would have handled this situation since we've never seen it before but I did my best to guess what her reaction would be. What do you think?_


	11. Chapter 11

A/N I'm almost through with this story :o( but I already have another one in the works :o). I'll tell you all about it with the conclusion of this one. Here's the next chapter.

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Part 11

Jane was officially bored. He had sent Lisbon out of the hospital to get some real sleep after assuring her he would behave and not try to spring himself out of the hospital. It was early in the morning but Jane, as usual couldn't sleep. His room was way to quiet. Oh how he longed for the constant noise of the CBI. Even in his bunker in the attack, he could hear the constant bustling of activity in the lower floors of the building. And his couch, how he missed the old thing. It was such more preferable than the hospital bed he was forced to sleep on.

He looked at the room when his eyes caught sight of the crutches leaning against the wall a few feet from the bed. The doctor had told me he would start learning how to use them later on in the day. What was there to learn? Jane had used crutches a few times in his life so how much different could it be this time? He promised Lisbon he wouldn't escape the hospital but had said nothing about going for a stroll. Now, what to do about the monitors and the annoying IV keeping him tied to the bed? The first dilemma was as easy as the flip of the switch. The second was a little bit more complicated and involved pulling the IV out of his arm and then tying off the line so it wouldn't leak all over the clean hospital floor. Jane was just on IV nutrients so he figured it wasn't vital. Besides, if they would just give him some tea and a sandwich, he would be all set.

Now that Jane was no longer tied down, he moved to sit up, a bit too fast. A wave of nausea hit him but eventually passed as Jane waited it out. Slowly he stood, using the bed to balance as he hobbled in the direction of the crutches. Finally reaching his goal, Jane took the crutches and leaned on them for a few seconds, catching his breath. Eventually, he made his way out of the room. Jane was unfamiliar with the hospital since he had only seen inside of his two rooms so he simply let the sounds lead him. Quicker than Jane figured, he began to tire and plopped himself down on the nearest seat he could find. He looked around and was slightly horrified when he realized where he had ended up.

Jane looked ahead of him at the large pane of glass that separated him from the room just outside of the hallway. Behind the glass, rows of bassinets filled the room, each containing a new life. Jane swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. What ill fate had led him to this particular area of the hospital? Jane's attention was fully on the room in front of him so he barely noticed when a man sat next to him.

"Hey."

Jane looked to his right to see the man who was now invading his personal space. The man was taller, with brown hair and glasses. From the content yet tired look in the man's eyes, Jane figured the man was probably a new father. That, and the fact that they were right outside the nursery after all. Jane was in no mood for talking so instead, nodded at the man before averting his gaze, pretending to be interested in something down the hall. Jane really wanted to leave but it was a long way back to his room and he didn't remember any rest stops along the way.

"I hope you don't mind me asking but what happened to you? You look pretty rough man."

Damn. This guy didn't give up did he? "I uh, got in a fight with a rock, well, a couple of rocks actually and the rocks won."

The man looked confused but thankfully didn't push it any further. "My name's Rob. Rob White. My wife's sleeping. We uh, just had our second child, a daughter. I couldn't sleep. Hospital chairs are really uncomfortable."

"Patrick Jane and congratulations."

"Thanks. You have any kids?"

Why did people always have to go there? "No. No children."

"Too bad mate. They're great."

Jane managed a slight nod. Ok, time to change the subject or get out and since Jane wasn't ready to move, he was forced into the former. He was about to ask the man where he could get some food when a nurse walked over to them. _Busted_, Jane thought.

"Mr. White. Would you like to see your daughter?"

"Sure."

"Ok, give me a minute to get her. I'll be right back."

Not good. Seriously why did these things always happen to him? Could he just walk away before the nurse came back? No. _Calm down_, he told himself. _You've been in similar situations before and handled them just fine._ The nurse came back.

"Here's Abigail for you."

Rob took her daughter and Jane watched the interaction between the two. Abigail was awake despite the early hour. Her bright eyes were locked on her father and little hands stretched out to grab his nose. Rob smiled and then looked over at Jane.

"You wanna hold her?"

"No, that's ok." Jane quickly stated.

"Seriously, here. You should hold her." Rob wasn't taking no for an answer.

Jane hesitated before reaching over to accept the offer. Rob handed Abigail to Jane. She looked from her dad to the consultant as if unsure of what to think.

"Hey beautiful." Jane cooed, taking in the innocent life before him. Abigail reached towards Jane's face like she did with her father but instead grabbed Jane's chin. Indescribable warmth flooded him at the slight touch. Jane smiled, surprisingly glad to share this moment with Abigail.

Jane handed Abigail back to her father and then grabbed his crutches, preparing to leave. "I uh, gotta get back to my room before the nurses start worrying about me. Thank you."

"No problem man."

Jane stood up and then turned around to face Rob again. "Take care of her. Don't take a single day for granted."

Rob didn't know what had brought that on but nodded at Jane. "I will." He watched as the strange man with crutches turned away, took two steps, and then stopped again. Before Rob could react, Jane crumpled to the ground in front of him, crutches and all.

"NURSE!"

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End of part 11

_So, I didn't think Jane could make it through his entire hospital stay without getting into trouble. What do ya'll think? _


	12. Chapter 12

A/N So, this is it. Well, it lasted a lot longer than two parts, that's for sure. I've thoroughly enjoyed writing this and reading all you're comments. I think i'm having Sadie separation anxiety (more on that later). Thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited, etc. Hope you like the conclusion ;o)

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Part 12

Much to Jane's disappointment, his little stroll around the hospital had added another week to his already too-long stay. Jane had never been forced to stay in one place for so long. Scratch that, not since his breakdown had he been confined for such a long time. The doctors worried that by collapsing in front of the nursery, Jane had further aggravated his head injury. Jane tried convincing them that he had an abnormally thick skull but they weren't swayed.

Jane glanced at the clock on the wall. He had officially been in the hospital for two weeks, five days, two hours, eight minutes, and thirty seven seconds but that was about to change. Lisbon was due any minute and she was going to free him from his prison. The rest of the team and Sadie had already headed home to Sacramento (to plan a surprise party, no doubt) and Lisbon was just checking out of the hotel and picking up his clothes from the cleaners before coming to Jane's rescue.

Jane had already flipped through the eight channels on his tv, counted the ceiling tiles, and people-watched through his window before Lisbon had arrived. When she finally walked through the door, Jane practically leaped out of bed to meet her. He was elated to see that she had with her a warm beverage and a mysterious (or not so mysterious) white brown baggie.

"You don't remember this, but I promised you these a couple weeks ago." She handed the items to Jane who took a peek inside of the paper bag.

"I love you!"

Lisbon rolled her eyes, not surprised that he was delighted to have his precious tea and blueberry muffin.

"No, seriously. Thank you Lisbon." He gave her a hug before nibbling greedily at his muffin.

"I brought you your clothes. They've been cleaned and I figured you wouldn't want to leave here in that." Lisbon gestured to his hospital gown.

"What, this? It's the latest fashion." Jane smiled. He took his clothes and went to change, hobbling along the way trying to hold his clothes and balance his crutches at the same time. Lisbon watched the humorous sight before her and then went to fetch the wheelchair in the corner of the room. Jane emerged from the bathroom and scoffed at the wheelchair.

"I don't need that Lisbon."

"Hospital rules. Besides, if you collapse again, you'll end up stuck here another week."

That struck a chord in Jane as he reluctantly handed his crutches to Lisbon and plopped into the wheelchair. Lisbon laid the crutches across his lap as they made their way out of the room. A few steps down the hallway, they heard a familiar voice.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" Emily stood behind them with her hand on her hips.

"Well, you know Jane. If I didn't get him out of here soon, he would have made a rope out of his bed sheets and escaped through the window."

"Hmm, never thought of that one. I'll have to try that next time." Jane mused.

Emily walked towards them shaking her finger at Jane. "There better not be a next time mister."

"What, sick of me already?" Jane gave his best puppy-face.

"You bet." Emily smiled. "Seriously though, this hospital is going to be less exciting without you here." She looked at Lisbon. "Good luck with this one."

"Yeah, well I haven't killed him yet."

"That's because you loooovee me Lisbon."

"Whatever."

"You don't deny it!"

"Jane!"

"Sorry. Can we blow this popsicle stand please?"

"Yes child." Lisbon grabbed Emily's arm. "Thank you, really, for everything."

Emily embraced Lisbon and whispered in her ear. "Don't give up on him hun. There's something there. I can sense these things."

"I won't." Lisbon blushed.

Emily placed a hand on Jane's shoulder. "And you, behave yourself mister. No lifting, stairs, or excitement for a good while."

"Yes mom."

"Bye Jane, Lisbon. Take care."

"So," Jane questioned as they were further down the hall. "What did Emily say to you that made you turn an unnatural shade of red?"

"None of your business Jane."

"Come on. If you tell me, I'll let you ride on my chariot here to the exit." Jane wagged his eyebrows at Lisbon.

"No Jane."

"Party pooper. You know I'll find out eventually."

Lisbon was thankful to finally make it to the exit. Jane sighed leaving the building and into the sunlight, warming his face. He had been inside way too long. Lisbon watched Jane's expression change as they were met with the warmth of the early afternoon sun. She was relieved to notice how much better he looked since awakening from the coma. His eyes were bright and full of life compared to the point when Lisbon wasn't sure if she would ever see those blue pools again and his hair, beautiful golden hair, was starting to grow back, glowing in the sunlight. Lisbon couldn't think of anything more beautiful at the moment.

She wheeled Jane over to the car she had rented for the ride home and helped him into it. It was probably a blessing that the team had taken the SUV since Jane didn't have to struggle too much to get into the vehicle. Lisbon placed the crutches in the back seat and then returned the wheelchair before climbing into the driver's seat.

"Ready to go home?"

Jane nodded and Lisbon pulled out of the garage. The ride to Sacramento would take a few hours so she turned on the music and drove on to the highway ramp.

Jane yawned, surprised to be tired from the morning's events. He smiled as Lisbon subconsciously began humming along with the radio. The sound relaxed Jane as he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

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(Back at CBI headquarters)

"No. That thing cannot come into the building. I'm sorry." Hightower was arguing with the team about allowing Sadie into the building for Jane's surprise welcome home party.

"But Jane hasn't really seen her yet since he was in the hospital. It won't be a surprise party without her." Van Pelt argued.

"We don't even know if Jane will come here. He should be home resting."

"He'll come here." Cho assured.

"Please? Just for today?" Van Pelt pleaded.

Sadie looked at Hightower and tilted her head, breaking the woman's defenses. "Oh fine, for today only."

"Yay!" Van Pelt cheered. "Come on Sadie. Let's go in."

"You," Hightower eyed Cho. "Are responsible for the dog. Make sure I don't regret allowing this."

"Yes ma'am."

Cho, Rigsby, and Hightower went into the building a few minutes behind Van Pelt. Walking into the bullpen, the rookie was smiling.

"Well, if we had any doubt that Sadie was Jane's dog, we don't now." Sadie had trotted into the bullpen and went straight for the couch in the back, making herself comfortable.

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The party went off without a hitch. Jane, was of course, already aware that they were planning something but he was thankful for his friends and their kindness. The day was full of everything Jane loved: Tea, good company, and even presents. At some point (Jane still didn't know when), the team had gone out and purchased Jane a jacket, hat, and gloves for him. Jane had no idea when he would have the opportunity to wear the items, but he appreciated the gesture.

The consultant was currently sitting on his beloved couch, Sadie at his feet. He was glad to have her back in his life and regretted ever giving her away in the first place. Hearing the sound of clicking heels, Jane looked up to see Lisbon with his green teacup and saucer.

"I figured you'd be about ready for a refill."

"My angel!" Jane smiled and took the beverage from Lisbon. He then patted the seat next to him, inviting Lisbon to sit.

Lisbon obliged and sat next to the consultant. She put a hand on his knee.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm good Lisbon, really." Jane covered Lisbon's hand with his own and squeezed it.

"Ok."

"So, Lisbon, you really should go home and get some real sleep. I can tell you're tired." Jane said honestly.

"I can't. You don't have any idea how much paperwork builds up when you're not at work for over two weeks."

"Seriously Lisbon, don't stick around on my account. I'll be fine now that I've been reacquainted with my couch here.

"We'll see."

.

.

Van Pelt was just finishing cleaning up the kitchen from the party. It had been a long day for everyone but in a good way. Thankfully, tomorrow was a weekend so the team could get some much needed sleep. She was about to leave but decided to say goodnight to Lisbon and Jane before she left, assuming they were still in the building. She walked to Lisbon's office and although the light was on, Lisbon was nowhere to be seen. Van Pelt then tried the bullpen and smiled at the sight she found there.

Jane and Lisbon were both on the couch. Sadie was laying sprawled out over the both of their laps. Who said labs weren't lap dogs? Jane's injured leg was elevated on a chair in front of the couch and all three of them were sound asleep. Lisbon's head was resting lightly on Jane's shoulder and she was snoring slightly while Jane was asleep with his own head resting on Lisbon's. It had been a rough few weeks, years even and on Monday the work would begin again. There would be another case to solve and a new suspect to convict but as Van Pelt quietly studied her friends, she realized maybe that didn't matter. Just maybe, even for one night, the love shared between the three souls on that couch, held enough power to chase away Jane's demons. He had a lot of healing left to do, but Van Pelt couldn't think of a better way to start.

The End

_May I hold you__  
__as you fall to sleep,__  
__when the world is closing in__  
__and you can't breathe.__  
__May I love you.__  
__May I be your shield.__  
__When no one can be found__  
__may I lay you down._

_._

_So, I promised you I would tell you about my next story plans. I have a few ideas jotted down for a Christmas Sadie fic involving Red John. How do ya'll like the idea? It's still in the pre-planning stages but if ya'll like the idea, I'll begin writing it and start posting once we get a little closer to Christmas ;o)_


End file.
